High sensitivity and amenability to miniaturization for field-portable applications have helped to make ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) an important technique for the detection of many compounds, including narcotics, explosives, and chemical warfare agents as described, for example, by G. Eiceman and Z. Karpas in their book entitled “Ion Mobility Spectrometry” (CRC Boca Raton, 1994). In IMS, gas-phase ion mobilities are determined using a drift tube with a constant electric field. Ions are separated in the drift tube on the basis of differences in their drift velocities. At low electric field strength, for example 200 V/cm, the drift velocity of an ion is proportional to the applied electric field strength, and the mobility, K, which is determined from experimentation, is independent of the applied electric field. Additionally, in IMS the ions travel through a bath gas that is at sufficiently high pressure that the ions rapidly reach constant velocity when driven by the force of an electric field that is constant both in time and location. This is to be clearly distinguished from those techniques, most of which are related to mass spectrometry, in which the gas pressure is sufficiently low that, if under the influence of a constant electric field, the ions continue to accelerate.
E. A. Mason and E. W. McDaniel in their book entitled “Transport Properties of Ions in Gases” (Wiley, N.Y., 1988) teach that at high electric field strength, for instance fields stronger than approximately 5,000 V/cm, the ion drift velocity is no longer directly proportional to the applied electric field, and K is better represented by KH, a non-constant high field mobility term. The dependence of KH on the applied electric field has been the basis for the development of high field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS). Ions are separation in FAIMS on the basis of a difference in the mobility of an ion at high field strength, KH, relative to the mobility of the ion at low field strength, K. In other words, the ions are separated due to the compound dependent behavior of KH as a function of the applied electric field strength.
In general, a device for separating ions according to the FAIMS principle has an analyzer region that is defined by a space between first and second spaced-apart electrodes. The first electrode is maintained at a selected dc voltage, often at ground potential, while the second electrode has an asymmetric waveform V(t) applied to it. The asymmetric waveform V(t) is composed of a repeating pattern including a high voltage component, VH, lasting for a short period of time tH and a lower voltage component, VL, of opposite polarity, lasting a longer period of time tL. The waveform is synthesized such that the integrated voltage-time product, and thus the field-time product, applied to the second electrode during each complete cycle of the waveform is zero, for instance VHtH+VLtL=0; for example +2000 V for 10 μs followed by −1000 V for 20 μs. The peak voltage during the shorter, high voltage portion of the waveform is called the “dispersion voltage.” or DV, which is identically referred to as the applied asymmetric waveform voltage.
Generally, the ions that are to be separated are entrained in a stream of gas flowing through the FAIMS analyzer region, for example between a pair of horizontally oriented, spaced-apart electrodes. Accordingly, the net motion of an ion within the analyzer region is the sum of a horizontal x-axis component due to the stream of gas and a transverse y-axis component due to the applied electric field. During the high voltage portion of the waveform an ion moves with a y-axis velocity component given by vH=KHEH, where EH is the applied field, and KH is the high field ion mobility under operating electric field, pressure and temperature conditions. The distance traveled by the ion during the high voltage portion of the waveform is given by dH=vHtH=KHEHtH, where tH is the time period of the applied high voltage. During the longer duration, opposite polarity, low voltage portion of the asymmetric waveform, the y-axis velocity component of the ion is vL=KEL, where K is the low field ion mobility under operating pressure and temperature conditions. The distance traveled is dL=vLtL=KELtL. Since the asymmetric waveform ensures that (VHtH)+(VLtL)=0, the field-time products EHtH and ELtL are equal in magnitude. Thus, if KH and K are identical, dH and dL are equal, and the ion is returned to its original position along the y-axis during the negative cycle of the waveform. If at EH the mobility KH>K, the ion experiences a net displacement from its original position relative to the y-axis. For example, if a positive ion travels farther during the positive portion of the waveform, for instance dH>dL, then the ion migrates away from the second electrode and eventually will be neutralized at the first electrode.
In order to reverse the transverse drift of the positive ion in the above example, a constant negative dc voltage is applied to the second electrode. The difference between the dc voltage that is applied to the first electrode and the dc voltage that is applied to the second electrode is called the “compensation voltage” (CV). The CV voltage prevents the ion from migrating toward either the second or the first electrode. If ions derived from two compounds respond different to the applied high strength electric fields, the ratio of KH to K may be different for each compound. Consequently, the magnitude of the CV that is necessary to prevent the drift of the ion toward either electrode is also different for each compound. Thus, when a mixture including several species of ions, each with a unique KK/K ratio, is being analyzed by FAIMS, only one species of ion is selectively transmitted to a detector for a given combination of CV and DV. In one type of FAIMS experiment, the applied CV is scanned with time, for instance the CV is slowly ramped or optionally the CV is stepped from one voltage to a next voltage, and a resulting intensity of transmitted ions is measured. In this way a CV spectrum showing the total ion current as a function of CV, is obtained.
Guevremont et al. have described the use of curved electrode bodies for instance inner and outer cylindrical electrodes, for producing a two-dimensional atmospheric pressure ion focusing effect that results in higher ion transmission efficiencies than can be obtained using, for example, a FAIMS device having parallel plate electrodes. In particular, with the application of an appropriate combination of DV and CV an ion of interest is focused into a band-like region in the annular gap between the cylindrical electrodes as a result of the electric fields which change with radial distance. Focusing the ions of interest has the effect of reducing the number of ions of interest that are lost as a result of the ion suffering a collision with one of the inner and outer electrodes. FAIMS devices with cylindrical electrode geometry have been described in the prior art, as for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,420,424, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
In WO 00/08455, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Guevremont and Purves describe a domed-FAIMS analyzer. In particular, the domed-FAIMS analyzer includes a cylindrical inner electrode having a curved surface terminus proximate an ion outlet orifice of the FAIMS analyzer region. The curved surface terminus is substantially continuous with the cylindrical shape of the inner electrode and is aligned co-axially with the ion outlet orifice. During use, the application of an asymmetric waveform to the inner electrode results in the normal ion-focusing behavior as described above, and in addition the ion-focusing action extends around the generally spherically shaped terminus of the inner electrode. This causes the selectively transmitted ions to be directed generally radially inwardly within the region that is proximate the terminus of the inner electrode. Several contradictory forces are acting on the ions in thus region near the terminus of the inner electrode. The force of the carrier gas flow tends to influence the ions to travel towards the ion-outlet orifice, which advantageously also prevents the ions from migrating in a reverse direction, back towards the ion source. Additionally, the ions that get too close to the inner electrode are pushed back away from the inner electrode, and those near the outer electrode migrate back towards the inner electrode, due to the focusing action of the applied electric fields. When all forces acting upon the ions are balanced, the ions are effectively captured in every direction, either by forces of the flowing gas, or by the focusing effect of the electric fields of the FAIMS mechanism. This is an example of a three-dimensional atmospheric pressure ion trap, as described in greater detail by Guevremont and Purves in WO 00/08457, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Guevremont and Purves further disclose a near-trapping mode of operation for the above-mentioned domed-FAIMS analyzer, which achieves ion transmission from the domed-FAIMS to a mass spectrometer with high efficiency. Under near-trapping conditions, the ions that accumulate in the three-dimensional region of space near the spherical terminus of the inner electrode are caused to leak from this region, being pulled by a flow of gas towards the ion-outlet orifice. The ions that are extracted from this region do so as a narrow, approximately collimated beam, which is pulled by the gas flow through the ion-outlet orifice and into a smaller orifice leading into the vacuum system of the mass spectrometer. Accordingly, a tandem domed-FAIMS/MS device is a highly sensitive instrument that is capable of detecting and identifying ions of interest at part-per-billion levels.
More recently, in WO 01/69216 the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference, Guevremont and Purves describe a so-called “perpendicular-gas-flow-FAIMS”, which is identically referred to as a side-to-side FAIMS. The analyzer region of the side-to-side FAIMS is defined by an annular space between inner and outer cylindrical electrodes. In particular, ions that are introduced into the analyzer region of the side-to-side FAIMS are selectively transmitted in a direction that is generally around the circumference of the inner electrode. For instance, the ion inlet and the ion outlet of a side-to-side FAIMS device are disposed, one opposing the other, within a surface of the outer electrode such that ions are selectively transmitted through the curved analyzer region between the ion inlet and the ion outlet along a continuously curving ion flow path absent a portion having a substantially linear component. In particular, the ions travel from the ion inlet to the ion outlet by flowing around the inner electrode in one of a “clock-wise” and a “counter clock-wise” direction. This is in contrast to the above-mentioned FAIMS devices in which the ions are selectively transmitted along the length of the inner electrode.
Advantageously, the side-to-side FAIMS device reduces the minimum distance that must be traveled by the ions within the analyzer region to approximately fifty per cent of the circumference of the inner electrode. Since the ions split into two streams traveling in opposite directions around the inner electrode after they are introduced through the ion inlet, the effective ion density within the analyzer region is reduced, and so too is the ion-ion repulsion space charge effect reduced. Furthermore, the reduction of the minimum ion travel distance has the added benefit of improving the ion transmission efficiency. For example, by keeping the time for travel short, the effect of diffusion and ion-ion repulsion forces are minimized. In keeping distances short, the transit time of the ions through the analyzer region is also short, which supports more rapid analysis of ion mixtures.
The side-to-side electrode geometry is readily adapted for use with a conventional electrospray ionization source. It has been determined experimentally that the analysis of peptides and proteins using mode P2, that is fir positive ions using a negative DV, gave results comparable to those obtained using a domed-FAIMS device. It is a limitation of the side-to-side FAIMS, however, that the analysis of several low molecular weight species, that is a molecular weight of less than approximately 200–300 Da, using mode N1, that is for negative ions using a negative DV, resulted in a lower signal intensity compared to the results that were obtained using the domed-FAIMS device. This result was not entirely unexpected, in view of the specific steps that are performed for optimizing the performance of a domed-FAIMS device. In particular, the distance between the hemispherical tip of the inner electrode and the ion outlet, referred to as the extraction region, is adjusted so as to optimize signal intensity. For the domed-device, in general, the distance is slightly larger for peptides and proteins than it is for the low molecular weight species. Furthermore, when using mode N1, optimal results are obtained when the distance between the inner and outer electrodes is less in the extraction region than it is in the remainder of the analyzer region.
Of course, it is relatively straightforward to vary the inter-electrode spacing in extraction region of the domed-FAIMS devices. For example, this optimization is easily achieved in the domed-FAIMS devices by relatively moving the inner electrode toward the ion outlet in the outer electrode, which affects only the spacing near the ion outlet. In particular, the analyzer region of a domed-FAIMS device is defined between the cylindrical inner surface of the outer electrode and the cylindrical outer surface of the inner electrode. Accordingly, the inter-electrode spacing, and therefore the conditions for selectively transmitting ions, does not change within the analyzer region of a domed-FAIMS device when the inner electrode is moved in a longitudinal direction relative to the outer electrode. As will be obvious to one of skill in the art, such is not the case for a FAIMS having a side-to-side electrode geometry. In particular, relatively moving the inner electrode toward the ion outlet in the outer electrode of a side-to-side FAIMS results not only in changes to the inter-electrode spacing proximate the ion outlet, but also elsewhere in the analyzer region. By making such an adjustment, the overall ion transmission efficiency through the side-to-side FAIMS device is likely to be lower, since the resulting changes in electric fields within the analyzer region are likely to cause a disproportionate increase in ion losses.
It would be advantageous to provide a FAIMS apparatus including a detection system that overcomes the limitations of the prior art.